Contact Information

State Department of Health Committee Votes to Move New John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Forward

Updated: 5/28/2013

Conceptual rendering of the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital

The New York State Department of Health Project Review Committee voted to approve the certificate of need (CON) to build the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.

“This is a significant step forward in our plans to build the new hospital,” said Teresa Quattrin, MD, University at Buffalo (UB) distinguished professor, A Conger Goodyear professor and chair, Department of Pediatrics at UB and pediatrician-in-chief, chief, Division of Diabetes/Endocrinology, Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo. “The idea of building a new facility is to take what we have on Bryant Street, which is very good, and make it better for those we serve. We are so fortunate to have the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo here. We must be committed to ensure its future and its new home.”

The hospital’s CON application will now move for final consideration by the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council on June 6, 2013. With those final state approvals in hand, planning for construction, financing and operations can continue.

Plans are for the 12-floor, free-standing, state-of-the-art facility to continue as the only hospital in Western New York to provide infants, children and adolescents immediate access on site to pediatric surgery and a full panel of pediatric medical subspecialists, including the region’s largest and safest neonatal intensive care unit, the Regional Pediatric Trauma Center and pediatric neurosurgery.

Additionally, a Women's Pavilion will provide all related services including labor and delivery, the regional perinatal center and the women’s health center providing prenatal and gynecological care and C-section operating rooms all located on the same floor. The Women’s Pavilion will be connected by bridge directly to an adult surgical floor of the Buffalo General Medical Center for improved patient access and efficiencies in the delivery of care.

The vision for the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is to be recognized as the innovator, the highest quality, highest value provider and partner, and the regional referral center for women and children’s health care for Kaleida Health, in Western New York and beyond. Strong momentum continues for hospital’s $42 million fundraising campaign. Donors have committed more than $30 million to date including:

$1 million gift to create the James H. Cummings Foundation Epilepsy Monitoring Center

$2 million gift to create the New Era Pavilion in the main lobby and retail area

$3 million gift for The Fisher-Price/Mattel Family & Child Resource Center

$5 million gift to establish The Alfiero Family Emergency Care Center

Also previously announced, the John R. Oishei Foundation made an inaugural donation of $10 million to name the new hospital after Buffalo native, industrialist and philanthropist, John R. Oishei. Additional commitments have been made by Tim Horton’s, the Habib and Habib-Rittling families, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, and Drs. Gil Farkash and Julie Szumigala.

Expanded services at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, along with continued trends of more patients receiving care in an ambulatory setting, were major factors considered by the physician-led steering committee while reviewing previous campus plans (Hodge Avenue) and developing its proposal for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus location. Led by Dr. Quattrin, the hospital's steering committee is comprised of more than four dozen physicians, representing a broad section of the community, including University and private practice.

The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is scheduled to be opened by early 2016. For more information about the physician-led plans for the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, please go online at www.wchob.org/oishei.